Blog

November 23, 2017

Your Guide to Italian Wedding Traditions

Many modern wedding customs, like throwing rice and the wedding garter, come from Italian traditions. While trends come and go, traditions give us a sense of belonging. If you want to recognise your, or your partners, Italian roots, here’s a quick guide to what you can include.

The Wedding Date
Italian weddings are rarely held on Fridays, as this is viewed as the day evil spirits are created and getting married on a Friday will bring you bad luck. The luckiest day to tie the knot is a Sunday which signifies fertility and prosperity.

Good luck at the ceremony
Tying a ribbon across the doorway of the church lets passers-by know that your wedding is taking place. Superstitious Italian grooms carry a small piece of iron in their pockets to ward off evil spirits, and brides rip their veils for good luck.

First look
In many Italian regions, the bride is not allowed to see herself in the mirror before the wedding. She can take a peek, however, if she first removes a glove, an earring or a shoe. Also, Italian brides once wore green on the eve of their wedding to bring good luck.

The dress
Even if the bride herself isn’t wearing a white wedding dress, all guests should avoid wearing white. A white wedding dress symbolises good destiny while ivory predicts a turbulent life; blue indicates the bride’s sincerity and pink predicts an economic loss. In some regions of Italy, especially in the south, the wedding dress is given by the groom’s mother. The bride will choose the dress but she is accompanied by the future mother-in-law, her mother and any sisters or girlfriends.

The bouquet
As the final gift to his girlfriend before she becomes his wife, the groom is expected to pay for the bridal bouquet. Although she can choose the floral arrangement to suit her theme and aesthetic, the groom must pay for it and see that it is delivered to her on the wedding day.

The exit
After the ceremony, as the newlyweds are departing the church, rice is showered on them by their guests to symbolise fertility.

The reception
During the reception, the groom’s friends cut his tie and then they sell the cut pieces to guests, with the collected money going to the newlywed couple. During the reception, the bride also carries a satin pouch. Guests can place envelopes of money in the pouch for the chance to dance with her.
In some regions, the newlywed couple breaks a glass vase and the number of broken pieces are supposed to represent the number of years that they would be happily married.
No Italian reception would be complete without dancing the traditional tarantella. Dancers hold hands and race clockwise until the music speeds up, and then they reverse directions.

Bonbonniere
‘Bonbonniere’ is the Italian word for wedding favours and is one of the oldest traditions. Bonbonniere usually contain five to seven sugar-coated almond which are lucky numbers. They are meant to represent the bittersweet nature of marriage.

When it comes to choosing a location for your reception on your big day, it is essential to find a venue that understands and respects your traditions.

The Waterfront Function Centre with its superb facilities and mouth-watering cuisines have established us a firm favourite for weddings and events of all sizes.

Our experienced and dedicated staff specialise in catering to small or large scale and multicultural wedding events. Whatever your requirements, we are here to help make your wedding dreams a reality and will work with you to create a tailor-made experience that fulfils all your Italian wedding traditions.

Give us a call to find out more about our multicultural wedding options on 1300 608 910 or to drop us a line on our enquiry form click here >>